The Hankook has one feature the other tires can't match—a $99 price. And to its credit, the Hankook didn't behave like the cheapest tire, particularly when the track was dry. It tied the $175 Yokohama and $145 Goodyear for second place in lateral grip, scoring 0.94 g. And although its dry-braking results landed it in last place, that shortcoming did not greatly affect the Hankook's dry-autocross showing—a 29.86-second average, a third-place result that was only 0.20 second away from the winning effort.

It became apparent that the Hankook was clearly tuned for dry running as its wet-track results were below average. Like the other poor runners in water, the Hankook felt greasy and was slow to recover once it broke traction. But in the dry, the Korean tire felt just as responsive and sticky as its more-expensive competition.

The thing is, though, the harder you drive, the more tread you'll burn off a tire. So if you're a track-day addict who doesn't mind sacrificing some wet-weather capabilities, the Hankook is a choice that will save you money without losing much performance.

Hankook Ventus R-S2 Z212

Typical selling price $99

Service designation* 94Y

UTQG tread-wear grade 200

Weight, lb 23.6

Dimensions

Section width, in** 8.9

Tread depth, 32/in 9

Diameter, in 25.0

* The number, which in the case of these tires ranges from 90 to 94, is the load rating of the tire. The higher the number, the more weight the tire can carry. The letter is the speed rating: "W" for up to 168 mph and "Y" for 186 mph.** Measured on a 7.5-inch-wide wheel.